I've been pondering this ever since I have gotten into sailing and beer making simultaneously. My conclusion...leave my homebrewing gear at home, teach my Dad or a friend to make mead and beers, ship me the bottles when its done (and maybe sell some along the way)

I've been pondering this ever since I have gotten into sailing and beer making simultaneously. My conclusion...leave my homebrewing gear at home, teach my Dad or a friend to make mead and beers, ship me the bottles when its done (and maybe sell some along the way)

I completely agree...I homebrewed for years, and then brewed professionally for a number of years. The most important part of brewing is keeping stuff clean. And I don't mean just clean...got to be sanitized. Regardless of the system, brewing requires lots of good water, some decent space...both of which are at a premium on board.

Brew on shore, keg it in soda kegs (Cornelius kegs) and bring those. Easier, neater and less work/space needs than bottling.

OK guys, now this is something I know about and is dear to (the layers of self induced fat around) my heart.

Many cruisers home brew and some cant wait more than 2 weeks to drink the stuff. Their stuff was horrible, mine was gooooood!

Ok - I decided that it had to be simple or it wasnt worth it. I used plastic bottles as they were light weight and you can store more/ volume than glass.

Clean the fermenter and the bottles as per manufacturers recomendations, (as the guys in previous posts say); use tap water and dont worry about high temperatures or specific gravities etc. At the end of 6 or 7 days (when calm enough), bottle the stuff.

We cruised the tropics for almost 3 years. Some brews were a little average, most were great. BUT allow it to sit second fermenting in the bottle (in the dark) for 3 months. In order to do this, I had 4 brews running (120 bottles) so that each could sit for 3 months or longer before I touched it. I had 4 plastic boxes, each held one brew. They sat in a single bunk in the aft cabin with the lee sheet up and a sheet or towel over the top (reduce the light). The temperature in that cabin was fairly consistant as the water temp stays consistant.

As to the tap water, we usually had to return somewhere about every 3-5 weeks for fresh food, and would top up with fuel and water etc. Thats when I would use tap (filtered) water.

If you keep it simple, and follow the instructions it will work just perfectly.
DC

Yes crazy, but it works - (as long as everything is sterile clean.) As Homer says, mmmmm....beer.

You gotta keep it simple. If you are lying awake at night worrying about the specific gravity of a malty sludge in a keg - you got problems. (Keep the bottles in a plastic, box - in order to clean up any mess that may occur. Only happened twice). The rest were manna from heaven, syrup of the gods yada yada. You can also get wine bottle coolers (wetsuit material) which fit perfectly over a bottle of beer or use a vacuum thermos mug ( they hold about 450mls ( 3/4 a bottle)

See how Aussies and yanks can speak the same language, eg - beer o'clock is when??

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Telstar 28
New England

You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.

—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)

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